Drugs and counterfeit cash trio jailed

Three men responsible for the distribution of drugs and counterfeit cash in the Capital have been jailed after a major police surveillance operation.

At the High Court in Edinburgh Jason Forbes was sentenced to 32 months in prison while Darren Handren was given a 20-month sentence and Edmond Reid received two 36-month prison sentences, which will run concurrently.

Officers from the Organised Crime Counter Terrorism Unit carried out surveillance activity in the Inch and Niddrie areas of the city between October 2012 and May 2013 as part of Operation Harvester.

As a result, almost £10,000 in forged notes was seized from an address in Niddrie Marischal Crescent in January 2013 before one kilo of cannabis and 576 grams of diamorphine were recovered during a search of a property in Cumnor Crescent in May the same year. Reid and Handren were ­detained during the raid at Cumnor Crescent and were subsequently charged while Forbes was arrested in September during follow-up inquiries under Operation Harvester.

Forbes, 30, had a listening device deployed in his Volkswagen Caddy van during the monitoring operation by police.

Advocate depute Sheena Fraser earlier told the court that on a number of occasions conversations were recorded which demonstrated Forbes’ involvement in the supply of heroin.

She said: “These conversations, sometimes with another occupant of the van, sometimes with persons on the other end of a telephone call, related to the movement of drugs and money.

The tenor of the conversation confirmed that Forbes was supervising and organising the drug supplying operation of the other parties to the conversations and others known to them and taking a cut of the money for doing so.”

At one point he was heard complaining about another not paying his drug debt and ­saying he would have to take his list off him.

Ms Fraser said: “He advised others on the dangers of the use of telephone communications which may leave evidence for the police and suggests to the man to switch phones or use limited contact such as Blackberry messenger or text messaging.”

Forbes, an electrician of Hay Drive, admitted being concerned in the supply of heroin.

Reid, 28, of Cumnor ­Crescent, earlier pled guilty to being concerned in the supply of heroin and cannabis.

Handren, 28, of Niddrie Marischal Crescent, pled guilty to having £9960 of counterfeit £10 notes at his home in January 2013.